Parallels
by Hearshot Kid
Summary: When Bolin is told of the tragic past that the late Tarrlok and Noatok shared, it hits him hard.


Title: Parallels

**A/N: This is my first fanfiction. I got the idea when I realized that Tarrlok and Bolin both sort of felt inferior to their brothers. I rolled with the idea and this happened. There isn't any shipping or romance, just some brotherly love/hate/angst/whatever else.**

_He couldn't stand the sight of his brother. Ever since the two were young, he was unable to look up to his older brother with the aspiration and heroism most little brothers could. He'd been betrayed, pushed into a false state of inferiority, one that even still felt so real to him. And, quite frankly, he was glad to see him go all those years ago._

And by a twist of fate, they were together again, sharing a silence on a tiny boat, heading away from the remnants of their lives after so many years apart. The younger one felt almost forced to reminisce, remembering a time when he thought that ridding himself of his brother would lead him through a path of greatness. He wanted to be the hero. He wanted to be the one the world would praise. And he really did believe that he could be.

My, how stupid he was.

In the end, nothing had changed. His brother had loved the life he led, the support he'd garnered, the movement he'd created. And him? He could only look back with regret. He'd been shunned and locked away, with nobody to vouch for him. Even in such a twisted scenario, he once again lost to his brother- he even lost his bending, the very essence of his being, to him.

He had nothing, and his only family was the reason why.

"The two of us, together again. There's nothing we can't do," the older one's voice interrupted his little brother's thoughts.

He wanted more than anything to tell him right there how he felt. He wanted to tell him that everything he'd ever wanted to do, he watched his older brother succeed at. And that now, his own chances at redemption were soiled forever, all because of him. And how he had never lived up to his brother in the past, and never would in the future, because he took away everything the younger one had ever wanted.

But he refrained. There was no use in rekindling past rivalries- especially since those flames had died out so long ago. All he could do was comply, play into his brother's foolish desire for friendship-

"Yes, Mako," Bolin replied.

Mako grinned at the sound of his brother's voice, "Mako... almost forgot the sound of my own name," he spoke, his gaze fixated on the infinite sheet of blue that awaited them. There was nothing in sight, not in any direction; there were no signals of nearby life.

The gears in Bolin's head started to turn.

This could all be over right now, he realized. He didn't have to suffer anymore. Not under his brother, not under anyone. He could end this little game whenever he pleased. And if he were to end it right now, it wouldn't be only himself he'd be helping. The rest of the world would no longer suffer his brother's influence, either. And he would be the hero this time- in their eyes, and in his brother's eyes, because Mako would no longer be the world's target.

It was settled. It would be over, right then. Mako would thank him for this if he could.

Bolin reached for an electrified glove that was so familiar to him, so much associated with the destruction that Mako had caused. He gently slipped it on, careful to not stir up suspicion in his brother. He eyed the fuel tank and allowed himself one too many seconds to contemplate, to hesitate.

"It will be just like old times," he heard his brother say.

Bolin closed his eyes as he nodded in response to his brother. He flipped the switch on the glove, his mouth silently forming the words "It sure will," as he pressed the glove onto the fuel tank.

The last sound he heard was a deafening, booming noise.

And that booming noise awakened Bolin from his slumber with a start.

He jumped at the sound, cowering and clambering towards the headboard until he felt his back slam against it. He could hear someone screaming in pure terror, and it made him sick- only to realize those screams were his own. That's when he slowly came to his senses. He was alive, it seemed. He was intact. He wasn't on the boat anymore. It was over. But why was he still so scared?

He felt his heart beginning to slow to a normal pace, but it angered him that he could feel it at all. He knew he was going to have this dream- it was the very reason he didn't want to sleep that night. When Korra and Mako had told him that story, it hit him too hard. It was all too real for him; to him, it seemed like something that could actually happen. And the vividness and clarity of the dream only solidified that.

Bolin couldn't shake it. Every bit of resentment and envy he felt for his brother in that dream, more or less, was real and true within him. Even as he lay there completely awake, alone, in his own room, he could feel the results of those undone, imaginary actions weighing him down. He felt himself unwillingly collapse into tears, the pure guilt he felt for even thinking about such crimes eating him alive.

"You okay, buddy?" Bolin quickly stifled his tears and turned to the door to find his brother standing in the frame. He immediately forced himself to turn away- he couldn't handle facing his brother, not yet. He couldn't convince himself that either of them were ready to face what he was feeling.

He nodded silently, his focus on averting his eyes from Mako at all costs. The older one noticed that his little brother wasn't responding to him. He was concerned- even during his most violent nightmares, Bolin was at least able to muster up the strength to remind him he was alright.

He stepped further into the room, "Come on, Bo. You're really making me worried..." He sighed in both frustration and concern. This wasn't like Bolin. He wasn't one to hide from him. Was he really that disturbed? Did Bolin really feel the need to keep him from knowing? That was when a thought crossed his mind, "If you're not okay, you can tell me. I'm not gonna be mad, okay?"

"Come here," Bolin's voice rasped and cracked through the tears he was hiding. He knew Mako was going out of his way to help him; there were no ulterior motives, no malicious intent. And so Bolin had to return the favor, to take the risk and help his brother by telling him what was really bothering him. He had to take advantage of Mako's presence.

Mako hesitantly lowered himself at Bolin's bedside, sitting beside his little brother and taking a good look at him. He could tell the poor guy was sleep-deprived and horror-stricken at but a glance. Hulking shadows lingered under his eyes, and his trembling expression was wet and blotched with what seemed to be some combination of sweat and tears. Mako felt tears of his own forming, horrified at the thought of his baby brother going through some kind of torture that he didn't know about- or worse, that he didn't want Mako knowing about.

"What's bothering you? A bad dream?" Mako tried to sound open and inviting, placing a hand on Bolin's shoulder. He felt his brother tense up at the contact, but as Mako pulled away, Bolin began to speak.

"Yeah, I... I was just thinking," Bolin started, but trailed off. He felt Mako's hand again and allowed himself to smile slightly. He had to be honest with him, with everything he'd been trying to do to help. "I... I mean," he continued, "I've been thinking about... well, you know, that whole thing with Tarrlok and his brother and everything, and... I realized I kinda feel like I can see where Tarrlok was coming from a lot."

"What do you mean?" Mako wasn't sure how to respond to his brother's issue. Quite frankly, he didn't understand what exactly was the issue.

Bolin mustered the courage to elaborate, "I just mean that I get how he felt a lot. He wanted to be the best for a change. He was always under Noatok. Noatok was always better than him, and always got all the credit, and even when Tarrlok tried to do good things, nobody appreciated it or even tried to. And when Korra told me that she got contact from the Spirits or whatever and saw that they died, I just... I got really afraid that what happened to them would happen to us," Bolin finally turned to his brother, his voice beginning to tremble, "Please tell me that won't happen to us."

Mako let a few tears slip at Bolin's words. He hated that he was playing such a part in what his own baby brother was going through. He couldn't believe he'd allowed this to happen. And he had to make it right, "Of course that won't happen to us, Bo. I won't let it. And... if it makes you feel better, I think you're the best baby brother a guy could ask for. You're all I've ever had and all I could ever need, so don't think I'd ever let you go so easy."

Bolin pulled Mako into a tight hug, digging his head into his older brother's chest. Mako returned the favor. He let one hand run through Bolin's hair at the feeling of tears soaking through his shirt, hoping it would calm him down as it had in the past. He wanted nothing more than for his brother to be alright, to return to the Bolin he used to know, the one who trusted him. And if that meant he had to do a better job at telling him how much he meant to him, he would tell him every day, every second if that was what it took.

Mako knew that the biggest difference between him and Noatok was that Mako would never, ever stop loving his brother. And Bolin would never stop loving him. And that was why nothing would ever tear them apart.

**A/N: And that's it. I'd really appreciate reviews, good or bad (but polite all around!). Thank you for taking the time to read this. :)**


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